Brann's Steakhouse and Sports Grille set to open Nov. 12 near Bay City Mall in Bangor Township

BANGOR TOWNSHIP, MI — Television
sets, kitchen plumbing and booths were being installed Monday, Nov. 4, as construction enters its final stages on the soon-to-open Brann's Steakhouse and Sports Grille in Bangor Township.

Located at 3898 State St., the restaurant sits between the Bay City Mall and the Wal-Mart/Home Depot shopping plaza. It previously was home to Ruby Tuesday, which closed in 2009.

"After a couple of hiccups we are back on schedule," said
Aaron MacLachlan, Brann's general manager, adding he expects the restaurant to open on Tuesday, Nov. 12.

MacLachlan said staff training is scheduled to begin Tuesday, Nov. 5. He said more than 325 applications came in for the 100 spots on staff. Once open, staff from the company's other locations plan to be on site for a few weeks to help out.

The Bay City Brann's is split into three sections, a dining room,
bar and new-concept area called the "Fast Casual," a place where
patrons order food at the counter from a limited express menu. Food is served in that section from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily.

The Bay City restaurant is built with sports fans in mind with more than
20 televisions for viewing. The bar area is to feature two 70-inch televisions and
a TV cloud over the bar.

"There won't be a bad seat in the house," MacLachlan said, adding chain owner Mike Brann Jr. spent time researching the area before deciding to expand to Bay City.

"We liked the positive renovations and felt our concept
would fit in the area," said MacLachlan.

Brann’s late grandfather John Brann Sr. opened the first Brann's restaurant in Grand Rapids in 1960. Mike Brann Jr. also owns the chain's Caledonia location and his father Mike Brann and partners own the other locations, which include Muskegon, Holland and Macomb.

“I liked what was happening in Bay City with some of the new projects coming up, so that kind of intrigued me,” Brann Jr. told The Times for a story earlier this year. “I’m excited to bring … our concept to Bay City. I’ve had good experiences every time I’ve been there to visit, and I think it will fit very nicely … .”

Rockford Construction of Grand Rapids served as the general contractor on the project and subcontractors included local companies like A&B Plumbing and
Rainbow Exterior and Interior.